About Us - Versa-Style Street Dance Company

WHAT WE DO

Versa-Style is a 501 C 3 non-profit organization and dance ensemble that consists of committed and conscientious artists representing the diversity and beautiful complexity of Los Angeles.

Founded in 2005 by Los Angeles natives and co-artistic directors Jackie Lopez aka Miss Funk and Leigh Foaad aka Breeze-lee, Versa-Style Street Dance Company was created to promote, empower and celebrate the artistry of Hip Hop and street dance culture. Named “Los Angeles’ Best Dance Troupe for Hip Hop Empowerment” by LA Weekly, Versa-Style is recognized for its electrifying performances and inspiring engagement activities for schools and local communities. Consisting of committed, highly skilled street dance artists and educators representative of the diversity and beautiful complexity of Los Angeles, Versa-Style Street Dance Company harnesses the exhilarating energy of street dance onto the concert stage for an unforgettable evening of dance.

OUR MISSION

Versa-Style Street Dance Company seeks to empower underserved and marginalized groups worldwide through the movement and culture of Hip Hop dance by creating groundbreaking concert dance works that represent messages of diversity, inclusion, and equity both on stage and within our communities.

THE FOUNDERS

In 2005, Jackie Lopez, aka Miss Funk, was in the final year of pursuing her Bachelor of Arts degree at UCLA in World Arts and Cultures, with a Dance emphasis. She was creating her first repertory work, “The Perfect Song” and was recommended to work with a dancer named Leigh Foaad, aka Breeze-lee. Through this project, the two instantly bonded as collaborators, and decided to create a company together, calling it “Versa-Style,” to reflect versatility within street dance, and to honor the roots, origins, beauty, and power of Hip Hop dance.

In May of 2005, Lopez and Foaad co-created their first work together, debuting their brand new company, Versa-Style, at the world famous Los Angeles dance industry showcase, “Choreographer’s Carnival.” In the following years, they continued to showcase at prestigious Hip Hop dance festivals such as The J.U.i.C.E. Hip Hop Dance Festival (2009, 2010, 2012 & 2014), San Francisco Hip Hop Dance Festival (2009-2012), and internationally renowned Hip Hop dance theater artist Rennie Harris’ Illadelph Legends Festival (2010). Also in 2010, the company performed its first full-length theater work, “Feel Our Rhythm,” at the intimate Rosenthal Theater at Inner-City Arts in Los Angeles, achieving rave reviews from audiences, inducing an encore run later in the fall. In 2011, the company produced its second full-length work, “Positive Dose,” also premiering at the Rosenthal Theater.

2013 was a year of exponential growth for the company, debuting a new work, “Furious Beauty,” this time in the John Anson Ford Amphitheater’s Summer Series Partnership Program, selling out the theater and again garnering rave reviews. This year also saw Versa-Style grow internationally, performing in Chennai, India, as part of the city’s first ever Hip Hop dance festival, as well as a seven-city tour of Israel, as part of the US Embassy Envoy program. Since that year, Versa-Style has enjoyed significant momentum, performing all over the country in Iowa, Montana, Utah, and touring throughout Alaska, as well as continuing its international efforts, performing at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, as well as in Bogota, Colombia, and Cesenatico, Italy. In 2016, Versa-Style returned to the Ford Amphitheatre to debut its latest full-length work, Box of Hope, which also premiered in 2017 at The Japanese Cultural and Community Center, as well as The Broad Stage. At the conclusion of the Box of Hope tour in 2019, Versa-Style began developing their latest production, “Freemind Freestyle” set to debut once again at the Ford Amphitheatre in Summer of 2020.